Virtual Metering

The Workflow

Measuring single-well production is a challenge. High costs make installing multi-phase flow meters on individual wells impractical. Instead, we have long relied on proportional allocations to make production estimates.

Virtual Metering fills the gap in information. With the widespread availability of real-time measurements and well models tuned using workflows like WPA, Virtual Metering has been proven to be as accurate as physical measurements with faster response times.

Value

Virtual Metering takes advantage of One Virtual Source’s data integration and processing capabilities to automatically connect your SCADA installation with the modeling suite of your choice. One Virtual Source runs these models and returns a multi-phase rate estimate, which can be compared to allocations or used as inputs to other business applications.

Once implemented, Virtual Metering will increase the accuracy and reliability of production allocations. Companies perform well tests at varying intervals ranging from weekly to semi-annually. Virtual Metering executes much more frequently–typically on a daily basis. The high frequency model validation responds faster to changing reservoir conditions. It also accounts for more variables than the relative fluid volumes recorded in a well test. The improved accuracy gives engineers more confidence in their decision making. And with an accurate Virtual Metering system in place, companies have found they can reduce well test frequency, saving time and money, particularly in remote locations.

Impact

One of our clients operates an offshore production facility. The facility’s limited capacity and the cost of working offshore limit the number of wells that can be tested. In the past, their operations team prioritized which wells to test by comparing previous test dates and going off of “gut feel.” Now they use Virtual Metering to decide which wells to focus on. Strategically prioritizing which wells to test with Virtual Metering greatly improved the accuracy of their allocations. It also allowed them to uncover and resolve maintenance issues that otherwise may have gone unnoticed.

Another client operates in remote parts of the Sahara desert. Many months may pass before anyone can visit and test the wells, oftentimes with inconsistent results. The wide variation made reserves forecasts, facility capacity estimates, and production allocations unreliable. After implementing Virtual Metering, the operator was able to accurately estimate rates, even with extended periods between tests. The client saw improvements in artificial lift effectiveness, production allocations, forecasting, and general data quality.

Requirements

Equipment for gathering operational information
• For well models: well head pressure, lift method-specific measurements
• For choke models: well head pressure, flow line pressure, choke size

The most recent well test results (water-cut and GOR)

A well or choke model to compare to allocations

Third Party Compatibility

To maximize configurability, we designed Virtual Metering to be application-agnostic. Our workflow will work with any third-party model, including custom modeling applications built in-house. We currently have interfaces supporting: